On the Homestead: Tea garden for friend in need

I’ve known Danny since I joined the National Post almost nine years ago now. She lives in the Beaches area of Toronto with her husband Gary and their two daughters, Kate and Julia. Through the years, with Gary’s frequent adventures around the world leaving Danny on her own, I would drop in at the house for a visit or to help on the latest reno projects before we would both head to work to our night shifts. I can still hear Danny’s voice, with her South African accent, calling from the kitchen as I stepped into their house — “Tea darling?” — and that’s how we would start our visit, always with a cup of tea.

But now my friend is battling cancer. I walk by her desk at the office, expecting her to be there and look up from proofing newspaper pages to ask me how I am, and when I go down to the Beach boardwalk for my run, memories come to me from when we used to run the boardwalk together.

I walk into her home and I expect her to call out, “Tea darling?” But her days are spent on the couch in the living room, resting, surrounded by soft cushions to make her as comfortable as possible. It’s her family who now asks me if I would like a some tea, while I sit on a chair next to my friend.

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I know that this cancer has made Danny weak and fragile, and I am angry, frustrated, sad; I want to fix her.

I am a photo editor at the National Post but I am also a farmer, a lifestyle that I ran away from when I was growing up but ran back to when I met my partner in life, Lea. I love the fact that I can grow things that are good for you. We raise our own meat with no antibiotics or growth hormones. Our vegetables and fruits are started deep into the winter and grown slowly until they get planted in the garden under the sun’s canopy and become part of the cycle of life.

But there is nothing I can grow or raise that will make my friend Danny feel better. I’ve been growing wheat grass so we can juice it and help boost her immune system, but it’s not a cure for cancer. All I can do is sit with her, and tell her about my day and the latest newsroom gossip with the promise of returning tomorrow to have a cup of tea with her.

So when Lea and I decided to start growing herbs for teas, it made perfect sense to dedicate the garden to Danny. We’ve planted chamomile, lavender, lemon verbena, catnip, rosemary, thyme, anise hyssop, elecampane, bee balm, with more to come.

When I show her the video of us planting the tea garden, the girls watch along with us. When it’s over, Kate asks her mother what she thinks and Danny says in a weak voice, “I’m overwhelmed.” I tell her the it’s the right thing to do for all the tea she’s made me!

So Danny, when you’re ready to come to the farm, darling, I’ll put a pot of tea on for us and we’ll sit on the bench next to the blooming lavender and catch up on each other’s lives.